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Lower energy costs, conserve water, and fund green retrofit projects.

School energy & water saving tips can help America’s nearly 140,000 public, private and charter K-12 schools. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 30% of the energy used is either used unnecessarily or inefficiently…

“Energy costs are second only to personnel costs as the leading draw on K-12 school district operating budgets, totaling approximately $8 billion annually nationwide. (U.S. EPA, 2008; U.S. DOE, Undated) An estimated $2 billion of that total can be saved by improving energy efficiency in K-12 schools…”

For each kilowatt-hour (kWh) you save by using energy-efficient technologies, you are reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide (primary cause of global climate change), sulfur dioxide (key component of acid rain), and nitrogen oxides (responsible for smog).

Regular maintenance is the best way to minimize service calls, eliminate surprises, and control your total cost of operation. Consider quarterly equipment maintenance planning. Federal Energy Management Program promotes:

Increase the safety of all staff because properly maintained equipment is safer equipment

Improve the comfort and health of building occupants through properly functioning equipment that supports a healthy indoor environment

Confirm the designed life expectancy of equipment is achieved

Maintenance programs can be reactive (wait till it breaks), preventive (time scheduled) and predictive (basing maintenance need on the actual condition of the machine).

Monitor key HVAC points like chilled water temperature, hot water temperature, discharge air temperatures, and fan CFM. Setting these values to the minimum levels required for comfort will save energy and reduce stress on mechanical systems.

Add thermostats. Install or adjust programmable duct zoning to control heat-cool temps when rooms are empty.

Match HVAC and lighting to occupancy. Install controls that enable systems to provide light, heat and cooling to rooms only when they are occupied.

Night pre-cooling involves the circulation of cool air within a building during the nighttime hours with the intent of cooling the structure when utility costs are lower. The cooled structure is then able to serve as a heat sink during the daytime hours, reducing the mechanical cooling required.

Heat recovery allows you to pre-heat air or water meaning the heating system needs to use less energy.

Pumps in most HVAC systems are oversized. Adjust impellor to proper size for energy savings.

Daylight can supplement artificial light while improving productivity. Smart lighting systems use occupancy, time of day and light sensors to control dimmable fixtures and coordinate with automated shade systems.

Insulate air ducts in unconditioned space – energy gain of 10% to 30%.

Plugging air leaks – According to the EPA and Energy Star, save up to 10 percent on utility bills just by plugging building, door, window air leaks.

Kitchen: An average of 5% of the water used in schools is used in the kitchen areas.

Presoak utensils and dishes in basins of water, rather than in running water.

Turn off the continuous flow used to wash the drain trays of the coffee/milk/soda beverage island. Clean thoroughly as needed.

Turn off food preparation faucets that are not in use. Consider installing foot triggers.

New efficient 1.6 GPM pre-rinse spray valves used to rinse dishes before placed in the dishwasher and save hundreds of gallons per day.

Consider using water-efficient ice machines.

Where water pressure is higher than 60 psi, install pressure-reducing valves to save.

4. Hot water savings.

Old water heater can waste 27% in energy and provide less hot water due to sediment buildup. Annual water heater maintenance is important.

Heat water using recovered heat and solar thermal systems.

Instantaneous hot water heaters – tankless water heaters are a good choice for the right application.

Water heater insulation and hot water piping.

5. Toilet & urinal.

It is reasonable to assume an average of 2 to 4 flushes per student per school day. That can mean 500 flushes per year per student. To retain water savings, building maintenance staff must be trained to use the proper parts when servicing the flush valves. Unfortunately, 3.5 Gallons Per Flush parts often fit the new 1.6 GPF flush valves. Read K-12 Water Use.

EPA says 20-40% of all toilets leak! Leaky toilet can waste thousands of gallons a year.

Check for toilet leaks. Add food color to the toilet tank and wait 30 minutes. Then check the toilet bowl to see if coloring appears. If so, your toilet leaks. Flush the toilet promptly to make sure tank is not stained.

Replacing toilets with low-volume models. Toilets can use as much as 4.5 gallons per flush, while low-volume toilets use only 1.6 gallons per flush. An average savings of about 14% of the total water use in schools was possible through this one water conservation action.

Setting urinals with programmable automatic flush valves to a water saving mode that flushes the urinal after more than one use.

Replacing urinals with low-volume models. Urinals can use as much as 5 gallons per flush, while low-volume urinals use only 1 gallon per flush.

6. Outdoors. Rainwater harvesting.

One inch of rain on a 1,000SF roof yields 600 gallons of water. This is no longer just a residential option—industry and business leaders have begun to reclaim otherwise wasted water. For example, the headquarters of Panduit, based in Tinley Park, IL, has a water reclamation system that collects rainwater for non-potable uses; the system is projected to save the building 910,000 gallons of water annually.

Adopt water-smart landscaping, from using the proper plants to using in-ground sensors to trigger watering only when truly necessary. Consider using drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plants.

FUNDING RETROFIT PROJECTS – STAGE OVER TIME.

To pay for energy efficiency upgrades you can access new funds through loans, bonds, energy performance contracts, lease-purchase agreements, and grants. Create a to do list and stage energy saving projects over a number of years.

The Energy Efficiency Grants are a dollar for dollar state matching grant program providing up to $250,000 for energy efficiency projects in schools. The grants can be used for insulation, windows, doors, energy controls, lighting, energy recovery, energy conservation, alternative energy systems and other projects designed to reduce energy consumption.

Whether you’re a private or public entity, you may qualify for grants or low-interest loans for water conservation projects under state-sponsored initiatives. Performance contracting is another way to fund efficiency projects with no up-front investment. The most rewarding energy performance contracts combine water and energy-saving projects. Nicor Gas and ComEd offer some commercial rebates too.